


Never Meant to Be Apart

by mggforever



Category: Scandal (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-19 04:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3596343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggforever/pseuds/mggforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where James Novak is still alive</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Night of...

**Author's Note:**

> Based around on Scandal episodes: 3.13 and 3.14
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Scandal and it's characters, this is the property of ABC. This is solely for entertainment purpose only. No profit was made from this work

A meeting was called upon, confusion hit the air when James thought David called this meeting and they knew something was wrong. A loud crack went through the air, it was a gunshot. The bullet hits Vanessa straight in the forehead, her blood spattered onto the collar of David’s dress shirt. Her lifeless body fell onto the ground, blood pooled out of her. Another gun shoot, hitting Shelby also in the head and her body fell. James gasps in fear, David stood there speechless.

Jake Ballard starts walking towards them with a gun in his hand. After just witnessing two of his allies being gundown on the streets of DC. James frighteningly ran as fast as he could while David stood there like a statue. His heart was pounding in his chest but he couldn’t stop because staying alive would mean being able to see his daughter, Ella graduate and despite every fight he had with Cyrus, he loved him even though he is a ruthless political monster. Still running down the street, he felt a pinch, a burning sensation in his back and plummeted to the ground - he was shot. James fell to the ground, helplessly and pain rushes through his entire body but soon became numb.

On the other side of the street, stood David with his two arms raised up, in front of a cold blooded killer who just gunned down his allies. He begged for his life, pleading Jake not to kill him.

“I always liked you, David. You seem smart. Are you smart?”

“Y-yes,” he stuttered.

Jake lowered his gun. “Help me clean up this mess,” he said, and if it meant keeping his life, David would do whatever Jake told him to do.

David helped carry Shelby Moss’s body to the trunk of Jake’s car, noticing a plastic sheet was already laid down - this was planned, David knew. After both bodies were in the trunk, Jake slams it closed, echoing through the streets.

“What about James,” David wonders, who is still laying on the cold pavement ground, probably dead.

“Leave him be.”

David didn’t respond. Jake got into his car and he watched his car disappearing around the corner. He stood there, still processing what just happened, he turns around to see movement coming from James. He ran towards him - knowing it was probably a bad idea but he was his friend and friends don't leave friends behind.

As he ran, he pulls out his phone out from his pocket as he continues running, dialing for 911. “911, what is your emergency?”

“S-someone shot my friend,” he shakily said. “Please send help,” and he hung up on them.

David approaches James, he kneels next to him - he was barely conscious. The sight of the blood made him wince. “James,” David calls out. “James?!”

James said something but was barely audible. “Listen to me, you’re going to be alright,” he assured him. “Stay with me. Stay with me.”

A few minutes of emptiness and dreadfulness, the sound of the sirens getting closer can be heard a few blocks away.

Help is finally here.

  
\- - -

 

It was late evening, the White House is quiet and like any other day but there’s always a few people staying around. Staying late wasn’t new to Cyrus Beene, it happens once with the job. Today, he was trying to finish finalizing Fitz’s schedule for tomorrow before he could go home James and Ella.

Gwen, his office secretary comes barging into his office without any notices, scaring Cyrus. “Don’t I tell you to knock?!”

She ignores him. “Sir, I got David Rosen on the line.”

“Tell him, I’m busy.”

“I think you want to take this”

Cyrus rolls his eyes at her. “Fine,” he annoyingly said, waving Gwen away.

“Hello,” he said, picking up the phone. “Rosen, what do you want?”

There was no response from David but he could hear breathing. “Rosen!”

“I-I u-uh J-James,” he stammered profusely.

“What about him?”

“H-he got shot.”

“Sorry what,” he stammered, unable to comprehend.

“He’s at the James Madison Hospital. They took him to surgery a few minutes ago.”

This wasn’t real, Cyrus thought. This couldn’t be happening to him. He could never imagine his life without James and his heart wrenched.

“Cyrus, I’m sorry. I have to go, the police wants me to talk to them.”

“Okay, I’ll, uh, be right there,” he responds, slamming the receiver back into the phone and ran out of his office.

“Gwen, tell the president I won’t be in tomorrow,” Cyrus yells, running down the hallway.

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus exited the White House through the northwest entrance where he sees his colleague, Ethan just coming out of the gate. "ETHAN," he calls out.

Ethan heard Cyrus call out for him but he pretended he didn't hear him and continued walking. Cyrus ran up to him grabbing him by the shoulder, pulling him around.

"Ethan, please I need you to take me to the hospital."

A silent oh escaped his mouth but without any questions. He lead Cyrus to his car where he drove him to the James Madison Hospital, only 20 minutes northeast of the White House.

"Do you want me to come with you," Ethan wondered, as he dropped Cyrus off at the front, now knowing what happened.

"It's fine. Don't worry," Cyrus brushes him off.

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus reached the 7th floor of the hospital, the surgical wing. David was sitting in the waiting room near OR 2. "What the hell happened," Cyrus bellows, making David jump.

“I-I don’t know,” David sputters frantically, hiding behind his lies.

"Useless," he insults, storming off to the nurse station located down the halls.

"Nurse, I need you to get an update on my husband, James Novak immediately!"

"Sir, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Excuse me?! Do you know who I am?! I'm Cyrus Beene, White House chief of staff, I work with the President of the United States. I deserve an answer,” he screamed furiously, his face reddened.

"Cyrus," a firm voice calls.

He turns his head to see Fitz standing with Mellie, close behind are Tom and his colleagues of the secret service.

Fitz walks closer to Cyrus, gently touching his arm. "Mellie and I heard about James. We’ll find whoever did this, I promise.”

Mellie and Fitz are the closest thing he has to a family beside James and Ella.

They accompanied Cyrus to the waiting room. Fitz noticed David was there. "Rosen? He gruffly said. "What are you doing here? Go home."

"Let him stay."

Mellie sat next to Cyrus, pulling him close giving him a side hug as she rubs his arm as she comforts him.

 

Hour One

 

Cyrus’ heart would jump every time he sees someone passing the door thinking it’s the doctor. The wait is nauseating. He stared blankly at Fitz following the rhythm as he flipped through magazines, none of them would ever appeal to him. David sat in the corner of the room apart from the others, where he distracted himself by watching the television as he attempted to clear his conscious about everything that happened tonight.

“I should probably get Ella,” Cyrus said, getting up from his chair. “She’s probably wondering where we are.’

Fitz gets up, putting his hand on Cyrus’ shoulder. “She’s okay. Don’t worry. Mellie has her,” he assured him.

“NO,” Cyrus said. “She’s my daughter, Mellie shouldn’t be responsible for that. I am.”

“Don’t worry, Cy.”

“What if the press sees her? What are they going to think about that?”

"I will handle it. Don't worry," Fitz said. "Let's go get something to eat. Cyrus. You probably haven't eaten anything."

"I shouldn't leave. What if the doctor comes out when I'm gone?

"It'll be fine. It's not going to take long," Fitz glanced at David who's sleeping, his head slouched. "David's still here. It'll be fine."

The secret service followed Fitz accompanied with Cyrus to the cafeteria located at ground floor. Cyrus sat anxiously at a table and couldn't keep his mind off James. Fitz came back with a sandwich and two drink in his hand. It was clear, Fitz wasn’t going to eat anything. “I got you a sandwich but that’s the only thing they really have left since they’re hitting closing hours.”

“I’m a terrible person,” Cyrus blatantly admits, completely ignoring what Fitz just said. “I know that. You know that. Everyone knows that but -- Why is me and James still together. What’s there to love?”

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus heads back upstairs alone, since Fitz had to get back to the office and it was going to happen anyways, he has a country to run. He turned the corner, looking into the glass waiting room seeing Mellie inside carrying baby Ella in her arms. This was an unexpected surprise but it was something Cyrus needed at a rough time like this. He enters the room, approaching Mellie who hands Ella over to him, putting her into his arm.

Ella looked at him for a brief second trying to comprehend who he was. “Da-da,” she finally said.

Cyrus pulls her closer and kisses her on her forehead. “I thought you said you hate kids,” Mellie said, smiling

 

Hour 5

 

The clock hand strikes the 2, it was late. Cyrus drank about 4 cups of coffee, the caffeine was scorching through his entire body, helping him to keep awake until he hears about James’ condition and just like him, Mellie does the same. David on the other hand, is now awake from his short nap.

Cyrus stares bleakly at the ceiling, while his daughter sleeps silently away from all the somber.

A surgeon wearing blue scrubs enters the room, carrying a clipboard in his hand. “James Novak?”

“Yes,” Cyrus says, jumping to his feet.

“The bullet entered through his back, it did not went clean through and lodged itself between his right kidney and his pancrea, almost close to touching his spine.”

Mellie gasped, horrified. “Does this mean he’s paralyzed,” Cyrus asks, his biology was never the greatest.

“We managed to get the bullet out. However, he lost a lot of blood and it was touch and go for a while but we were able to manage to repair the injuries. He should make a full recovery. You can see him in hour. I’ll get someone to tell you when he’s there,” he explained, smiling reassuringly.

“Thank you,” Cyrus says, shaking his hand, relieved of this horrible burden and tension to his weak heart.

Mellie gives the doctor a curt nod, acknowledging him and the doctor left.


	2. I'm Okay

After receiving the news about James, everyone was relieved especially David whose anxiety was eating him away as he sat in the hospital room, dreading the news because he was afraid for his friend and also if he died it would have meant that he would have to live with a guilty conscious of three of his dead colleagues but James is okay now, that’s all that matters.

It was late, Cyrus knew that and he also knew had to take Ella home even though he didn’t want to but he thought what James would do and what a good father would do.

Cyrus proceeds over to Ella, crouching next to her. “Ella,” he calls out, putting his hand on her, gently shaking her awake.

She woke up from her sleep, stared blankly at Cyrus and began making a face - her wails starts echoing across the waiting room. He pulled Ella into his arms, comforting her until she stopped crying. “I’m going to take Ella home,” he said.

“I’m probably might as well leave,” David breathed, getting up and swinging his coat on him.

The secret service arranged a car, requested by the First Lady.

“Let me know if anything changes,” Cyrus said, one foot out the door.

Mellie assured him, everything is going to be fine.

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus and David exited the hospital, parting ways. David watched Cyrus get into a car and drove off into the distance now alone. He stood on the hosptial drop zone area, waiting for a cab he called 30 minutes ago that still hasn’t arrived. From a far, he sees a person, it was Jake but it too dark and couldn’t make it out. He looked again but no one was there, it was probably sleep deprivation - he thought.

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus pulls his car into a quiet little street only a couple kilometers away from downtown DC and up next to a curb. "Home," she says excitedly.

It was not home and he knew that also understood that without James or availability, he could not take care of Ella but mainly because he didn’t want to so he’s going to drop Ella off with the sitter for a while.

Ella starts swinging her legs as Cyrus makes his way around the car to reach her. "Dada," she giggles, as he unbuckles her out of her car seat and lifting her out, pulling her close against him.

Cyrus makes his way towards the babysitter's house. The porch light glimmered against the brick wall. He rang the doorbell, amusing Ella. Stephanie, the sitter opens the door. "Hello, Mr. Beene," she greets.

"Hi," he says now turning his attention to Ella. "I love you," he whispers, kissing her lightly on the head before giving her to Stephanie, making Ella whine

"Is everything okay - I mean..."

"U-uh yeah," he lied. "Everything is fine."

"Okay," she says doubtfully. "Good night."

"Goodnight," he says before disappearing into the darkness.

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus returned to the hospital, David now gone but Mellie is still here. “You should go home. I’m fine.”

"Hello," someone calls out. "Cyrus Beene, is it?"

Cyrus turns around to see a nurse dressed in blue scrubs standing there. "Yes?"

"You can see him now. I can take you to his room."

Mellie accompanied Cyrus up to see James. The nurse led them down a hallway on the west wing of the hospital, where the patient rooms are. Mellie waits outside of the room, giving Cyrus some privacy to be with James.

He entered the lightly dimmed room where James lay asleep probably still wearing off the anesthetic probably. He pulls a chair next to him, sitting there silently as he watched him sleep, hearing the machines humming steady in the background. He couldn’t imagine what he went through and it made his heartache.

He stayed there remainder of the time until morning, falling asleep next to him while he held his hand.

 

The next morning

 

James opens his eyes, his vision was blurry and his head was spinning violently. He looked around to see where he was but couldn’t see anything without his glasses except he could see a blur image of someone. “Cyrus,” he calls out feebly, trying to move his hand underneath him to wake him. “Cyrus,” he repeats again.

Cyrus shifts his head slightly. "Cyrus!"

"James?" He said, sluggishly.

"Were you here all night," he wheezed. "Cyrus Beene abandoning his job for me? I thought I never see the day.”

Cyrus smiled. “Where’s Ella? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Don’t worry.”

“You should go to work, there’s no point of you being here if I’m going to be stuck here for a couple weeks.”

“Okay.”

Before Cyrus leaves, he leans in and kisses James on the lips. “I love you - more than anything in the world,” he said.

James nuzzles his face against Cyrus’ neck. “I love you too."

Cyrus gave a look at James again before he steps out of his room and began approaching the elevators where he stood for a mere minute watching the floor numbers go up. A ding signaling the arrival of the elevator, the door slides open and two people got out, he walks inside and instinctively presses the button for the main floor.

The elevator reaches the ground floor, passengers storm out and Cyrus follows behind as he walked across the lobby, his cell phone starts to ring - it was Olivia.

"Liv?"

"Hey Cyrus. I just heard about James. How is he?"

"He's fine, resting."

"That's good. And what about you? How are you?"

“As long as James is safe, I’m okay."

“Good. I’m happy for you," Olivia said.

In the background he could hear a faint knocking coming from the door. "That must be Jake. I should probably go. I'll stop by and visit later.”

  
\- - -

 

Jake arrives at the Pope resident, pretending everything that happened last night was a faint memory and that nothing happened. All changed from the clothes he was wearing last night after disposing of Vanessa and Shelby to a jacket and a grey shirt underneath, carrying a bag of food from Olivia’s favourite fast food joint, Gettysburger.

“HI,” Olivia smiled, opening the door to see Jake standing there. “And you bought Gettysburger for breakfast.”

“I thought you would appreciate it.”

“How can anyone refuse Gettysburger,” she said rhetorically.

Jake stepped inside, noticing that she was already one step out the door. “You’re staying for breakfast, right?”

“Yeah.. I just got a lot on my plate right now.”

“Well, I hope you’re okay with me taking you out for lunch this afternoon.”

She laughed softly. “I wish.”

Olivia leans against her island as she watch Jake getting plates from her cabinet. “My friend got shot last night.”

“Oh,” Jake responded, pretending he knows nothing about it. “Who was it? Are they okay?”

“It’s James,” she sighed. “You probably don’t know him. I’m going to see him later today after I figure out something to fix this case, I’m working on.”

“So he’s okay?”

“He’s in the hospital but yeah, he’s fine. Thankfully.”

“Huh...”

 

\- - -

 

Cyrus entered the White House around 10am, he graciously walks down the corridors of the building making a sharp turn corner by his office where sees Mellie Grant standing towards the side talking to Andrew Nichols, distracting her and Cyrus hoped that managing to sneak behind hoping she wouldn’t notice him but his luck ran out. “Cyrus?”

“What are you doing here? You should be with at the hospital or with your daughter.”

“James told me to be here.”

“You spoke to him, That’s wonderful,” Mellie said gleefully, clasping her hands together. “How is he?”

“Weak but he’s doing well,” he paused. “I should probably get back to work.” Avoiding eye contact with Mellie, he ducked his head slightly and continued walking.

“Cyrus…” Mellie calls out pathetically.

He enters the oval office, surprising Fitz with his shocking return. “Cyrus, what are you doing here? You should go home.”

Cyrus ignores him.“We need to deal with Sally Langston. She’s at a gun lobby event in Houston.”

“Go home, Cy.”

“No.”

Despite, all the words said by the President of the United States, nothing could get through Cyrus - working was the thing that always meant something to him.


End file.
